Vision 2.0 is the successor to Vision 1.0 and adds several new features and fixes. It improves upon Vision 1.0's central messaging
architecture, file format support, platform support, core rendering, and much more.
Following from Vision 1.0, Vision 2.0 adopts the Core-System design. This design requires the engine to be divided up into small and lightweight modules that fit into one of three categories: System, Core, and Application.
The designations are simply that System Layer modules are expected to expose a platform and application agnostic interface, and support multiple
platforms beneath the hood. This layer generally consists of utilities and systems for file io, networking, thread support, memory management, etc.
The Core Layer is designed to rest atop the system layer, and provide platform-specific, yet application-agnostic features. This layer typically provides support for advanced graphics
rendering, audio, input, higher level networking, and so forth.
Lastly, the Application Layer provides features that are application-specific, and comprise the bulk of the
directly user facing code.
Vision 2.0 was ported to a number of different platforms during its lifespan:
HTML5 Capable Browsers
Windows (all versions)
Mac OSX 10.4+
Xbox 360
iOS 4.0+
Vision 2.0 adds the following key features above those of Vision 1.0:
Direct3D 9.0c+ & OpenGL 2.0 support
HDR Lighting
Quake III and Doom III level support
Demo recording, editing, and playback
Depth of field effects
Stereoscopic 3D Rendering
Revised Central Architecture
Revised Events System
Motion Blur Effect
Optimized Tri-strip Generator
Enhanced Player Physics
Light Trails
Debug Menu System
World Management System
Heat and Water Effects
Real-time Performance Profiler
During its short life, Vision 2.0 was used by several different development teams for a variety of purposes. The most prominent perhaps was its work on the Xbox 360 where it served as a critical test bed for new hardware. It was used by teams at ATi, IBM, and Microsoft over a period of six months. Thus it is likely that this was the first functional game up and running on the alpha, beta, and final Xbox 360 hardware.
Please see the Project Vision 1.0 Section for a complete list of features carried over into Vision 2.0 from the prior iteration.
Vision 2.0b Demo for Windows (12.5 MB)
Vision 2.0b Video High Quality (1280x720) (280 MB)
Vision 2.0b Video 2 (1280x720) (60 MB)
Vision 2.0b Readme (3 KB)